Never let it be said that Toronto goes unnoticed by the wider world. Just last week, the small 43-space lot on Gerrard St. a block west of Broadview won the coveted Award of Excellence from the International Parking Institute, based — where else — in Phoenix.

As anyone familiar with the otherwise unremarkable location knows, it happens to be the site of what the IPI calls “Toronto’s only traditional Chinese archway.”

Officially known as Carpark 146, it is one of many surface parking lots, each uglier than the next, and each a reminder of a time when the city was only too happy to sacrifice itself in the name of the automobile. Today, they are development opportunities, condos-in-waiting.

Not Carpark 146; several years ago the Zhong Hua Men Archway appeared. Clearly intended to serve as a gateway to Chinatown East, it has been an enigmatic presence ever since.

As the IPI noted, the arch “was constructed to symbolize Chinese contributions to Canada, and includes a tribute to the 17,000 workers who built the transnational railway…. it functions as a catalyst to raise cultural and economic awareness, and encourage the area’s development.”

Who could argue with any of that? A bit further north, in Riverdale Park East, a statue of Sun Yat-sen gazes sternly at the tai-chi sessions that happen here every morning.

Chinatown East, vibrant but shabby, is one of those neighbourhoods that appears just as suddenly as it disappears. For a few blocks, it’s there; then, without warning, it isn’t. The dividing lines are not hard to discern; Riverdale, north of Gerrard, is all gentrification; Chinatown, to the south, is gritty and raw.

Designed by architect Louis K.C. Cheung and Dale Cheung of the Archway Organizing Committee, the structure ranks among the most compelling to appear in Toronto in some time. It presents an authentic example of Chinese architecture unlike anything in Toronto outside the Royal Ontario Museum.

There’s only one problem: It’s in a parking lot. Whatever beauty and drama the arch possesses is pretty well lost in the asphalt banality of the site. The real symbolism, though unintended, speaks of a city only willing to go half way, a city that never quite manages to bridge the gap between doing and desire: Yes, we’d love an arch, but can you place it so we don’t lose too many parking spots?

The lot, owned by the Toronto Parking Authority, has the potential to become a small park, a square, a gathering place where people can enjoy themselves in the shadow of the arch. Other than a few trees, some benches, and new paving — please, no asphalt — little would be required.

The effect would be transformational. Even the old Don Jail across the road is being renovated and will be part of the revamped Bridgepoint Health Centre. With its limestone exteriors cleaned, the old prison is already looking better than it has in decades.

Other than Riverdale Park, the neighbourhood has few communal spaces; this could be one of them. It would also give visitors a chance to admire the gate up close. With its exquisite carved surfaces, stone lions and glazed tiles, the triple-arched structure deserves a better setting than a parking lot.

But were the parking lot to be closed, you can bet the local merchants would be screaming louder than anyone. That’s the usual pattern. In this case, however, the benefits of creating a memorable feature in the public realm might well be greater than the 43 parking spots. If not, why did we bother in the first place?

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